J Bone Metab.  2019 Feb;26(1):25-30. 10.11005/jbm.2019.26.1.25.

Comparison of Health Status and Nutrient Intake by Household Type in the Elderly Population

• Lim HS
• Lee MN

• KMID: 2440642
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11005/jbm.2019.26.1.25

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The health condition of old age is affected by various factors such as economic level, disease condition, and nutrition. With the aging population in Korea, the ratio of single-person households increased rapidly. Research on the health status and nutrition of the elderly in the single-person household is very insufficient. In this study, we compared the health and nutritional status of the elderly by the household type.
METHODS
Data from the 2013 to 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. A total of 2,730 patients were classified into 2 groups (single-person, with family), and general, chronic disease, health behavior, nutrient intake, and food insecurity status were compared by the statistical analysis.
RESULTS
Single-person households had a low economic and educational level and a higher percentage of women. In addition, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, myocardial infarction disease rate was significantly higher. Sing-person households answered that their subjective health status was bad, and their quality of life was low. As a result of analysis of the quality of the diet in the single-person, the intake of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin B2, niacin, and vitamin C was significantly lower. In particular, the intake of calcium was the most insufficient. Food insecurity has also been observed, including the inability to consume diverse and sufficient foods due to economic difficulties.
CONCLUSIONS
More attention should be paid to the health of single-person households in elderly population and various policies should be prepared.

Keyword

Chronic disease; Health status; Nutrients; Single person

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Aging
Ascorbic Acid
Calcium
Chronic Disease
Diagnostic Self Evaluation
Diet
Dyslipidemias
Family Characteristics*
Female
Food Supply
Health Behavior
Humans
Hypertension
Iron
Korea
Myocardial Infarction
Niacin
Nutrition Surveys
Nutritional Status
Obesity
Quality of Life
Riboflavin
Single Person
Stroke
Ascorbic Acid
Calcium
Iron
Niacin
Riboflavin

Reference

1. Hyun KR, Kang S, Lee S. Population aging and healthcare expenditure in Korea. Health Econ. 2016; 25:1239–1251.

2. Kim J, Lee J, Shin JY, et al. Socioeconomic disparities in osteoporosis prevalence: different results in the overall Korean adult population and single-person households. J Prev Med Public Health. 2015; 48:84–93.

3. Yi C. Relationship between the formation conditions and durations of one-person households in the Seoul metropolitan region. Demography. 2016; 53:675–697.

4. Tur-Sinai A, Magnezi R, Grinvald-Fogel H. Assessing the determinants of healthcare expenditures in single-person households. Isr J Health Policy Res. 2018; 7:48.

5. Kim SS, Kim-Godwin YS, Koenig HG. Family spirituality and family health among Korean-American elderly couples. J Relig Health. 2016; 55:729–746.

6. Yoon J, Yoon SJ. Quantifying burden of disease to measure population health in Korea. J Korean Med Sci. 2016; 31:Suppl 2. S101–S107.

7. Bae S, Urrutia-Rojas X, Patel D, et al. Comparison of health behaviors among single- and multiple-member households. Am J Health Behav. 2007; 31:514–525.

8. Cason KL. Family mealtimes: more than just eating together. J Am Diet Assoc. 2006; 106:532–533.

9. Liu L, Gou Z, Zuo J. Social support mediates loneliness and depression in elderly people. J Health Psychol. 2016; 21:750–758.

10. Kucukerdonmez O, Navruz Varli S, Koksal E. Comparison of nutritional status in the elderly according to living situations. J Nutr Health Aging. 2017; 21:25–30.

11. Lee SE, Song YJ, Kim Y, et al. Household food insufficiency is associated with dietary intake in Korean adults. Public Health Nutr. 2016; 19:1112–1121.

12. Kim HJ, Oh K. Household food insecurity and dietary intake in Korea: results from the 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Public Health Nutr. 2015; 18:3317–3325.

13. Kim SH, Cho B, Won CW, et al. Self-reported health status as a predictor of functional decline in a community-dwelling elderly population: Nationwide longitudinal survey in Korea. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2017; 17:885–892.

14. Ministry of Health & Welfare, The Korean Nutrition Society. Dietary reference intakes for Koreans. Sejong: Ministry of Health & Welfare, The Korean Nutrition Society;2015.

15. Kim J, Lee JE. Social support and health-related quality of life among elderly individuals living alone in South Korea: a cross-sectional study. J Nurs Res. 2018; 26:316–323.

16. Won MR, Choi YJ. Are Koreans prepared for the rapid increase of the single-household elderly? Life satisfaction and depression of the single-household elderly in Korea. ScientificWorldJournal. 2013; 2013:972194.

17. Davis MA, Neuhaus JM, Moritz DJ, et al. Living arrangements and survival among middle-aged and older adults in the NHANES I epidemiologic follow-up study. Am J Public Health. 1992; 82:401–406.

18. Kharicha K, Iliffe S, Harari D, et al. Health risk appraisal in older people 1: are older people living alone an “at-risk” group? Br J Gen Pract. 2007; 57:271–276.

19. Fukunaga R, Abe Y, Nakagawa Y, et al. Living alone is associated with depression among the elderly in a rural community in Japan. Psychogeriatrics. 2012; 12:179–185.

20. Song HJ, Park S, Kwon JW. Quality of life of middle-aged adults in single households in South Korea. Qual Life Res. 2018; 27:2117–2125.

21. Bocquier A, Vieux F, Lioret S, et al. Socio-economic characteristics, living conditions and diet quality are associated with food insecurity in France. Public Health Nutr. 2015; 18:2952–2961.

22. Vozoris NT, Tarasuk VS. Household food insufficiency is associated with poorer health. J Nutr. 2003; 133:120–126.

23. Tarasuk VS, Beaton GH. Household food insecurity and hunger among families using food banks. Can J Public Health. 1999; 90:109–113.